Play Development & Maintenance

See below for Waveney District Council Play Provision

Play Maintenance

Waveney Norse is the main provider of play facilities in the local area and is responsible for the development, improvement and maintenance of 82 of 103 play spaces across the district, Beccles, Bungay, Halesworth, Lowestoft and Southwold and a small number of rural locations. We also work with the Parish and Town Councils, Housing Associations and local Community Groups to assist with the delivery of play facilities.

Play areas are regularly inspected and risk assessments made to help maintain the assets in a safe condition. Within the Parks Team, there is a dedicated officer whose job it is to regularly inspect the play areas. During the inspection safety checks are made on the equipment and the site examined for other hazards, such as broken glass. The inspector carries the tools necessary for carrying out routine maintenance and simple repairs immediately. Larger works may require specialist contractors and/or materials and are reported back to the office and programmed accordingly. Further to this we carry out quarterly engineering inspections and commission independent annual inspections.

Play Space Evaluation Report

SLT bi-ennually review WDC play provision for;

Play Value

The quantified quality of play provision across the district

Condition

The visual condition of play provision (attractiveness)

Ancillary provisions (bench, bin, access)

Please note – detailed health and safety condition and regulation compliance does not form part of this report as the annual ROSPA report for all play spaces fulfils this obligation

Catchment

Play spaces were also evaluated in terms of there catchment and age related provision. The report highlights areas of under and over provision

District and sub region priority

The report also identifies each play spaces priority in the district and sub regions (town/parish) in order to assist communities to prioritise locally

Please note – public consultation on the usage of each play space was not conducted.

Current resource (Norse)

Staff resource

Technology currently used and available

Inspection regimes

Repair and maintenance budget

Current budgets and funding

Current S106 process and funds

Current and future Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) process and funds

New developments – Pre planning influence

Liaison with developers

Input and influence at pre planning stages

Sustainability, inclusion and quality through design

From this, the report is produced to highlight findings and recommend a district focused action plan to improve play provision quality and access across the district. The report is in conjuction with WDC's Open Space Needs Assessment and WDC's Green Infrastructure Strategy.